Thank Goodness for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots

Head Scratcher Number One

One of them was the long pass to Gronkowski that sealed the win for New England. Why would a defensive coordinator put a defensive back that was just signed off the street 12 days earlier, one on one against one of the best tight ends in the game, especially with one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game throwing the ball? 

Head Scratcher Number Two

Late in the 2nd quarter, after the pass interference call on Nelson, the Patriots have the ball on the KC 1 yard line and Sutton has Frank Zombo, a guy signed off the street just 5 days before the game, to play left OLB for that entire series. On 3rd down, as can be expected, Gronk blocks Zombo out of the way and Michel runs through the hole into the end zone untouched until after crossing the goal line. Was Sutton saying that he can’t depend on Dee Ford to set the edge. 

Head Scratcher Number Three

Only three minutes into the third quarter, after the Chiefs score a quick TD on the long pass from Mahomes to Kareem Hunt, the defense kinda slows down the Pats offense and has the Patriots 3rd and 2 on the Pats 38 yard line. For whatever reason, on 3rd and 2, not 3rd and long but 3rd and 2, Sutton puts in his dime package. Not only are the Chiefs in dime, but the OLBs,  Breeland Speaks and Ford are lined up over the guards with defensive linemen Chris Jones and Allen Bailey lined up outside of the tackles, leaving ILB Anthony Hitchens the only Chief between the guards. Guess what, the Pats run RB White up the middle through a gaping hole for a gain of 10 yards.

History: Lessons or Lashings?

As was pointed out by one of the great regular commenters here at ArrowheadOne, the Chiefs defense is on pace to set a record as the worst defense in NFL history. They are on a pace to eclipse the lamentable record of the 2012 New Orleans Saints, a team that gave up 7042 yards that season. By the way, the 2012 Saints played that season with interim coaches as their head coach and defensive coordinator were suspended following Bountygate. The Chiefs D is just “Honestly Bad.” See, more to be thankful for.

Now, in defense of the Chiefs defense, all six games have been against top half offenses. The Jacksonville Jaguars being the worst offense the Chiefs have faced thus far, ranking 16th. The next 4 games, 3 of which will be played in Arrowhead, will be against much weaker opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. The rematch with Denver on the 28th will be the strongest offense the Chiefs will face over the next 4 weeks. If the defense is going to show any improvement… this next month will be the opportune time. 

All four of these teams have bottom 10 defenses, so Mahomes and the Chiefs offense should be able to move the ball and score without too many problems that are not self inflicted.

“Fording” a Stream of Criticisms

I know this comment won’t be popular with everyone, but as expected, with Justin Houston not in the game to hold the focus of the opposing offense, Dee Ford was basically invisible. He played 72 of the 78 defensive snaps and finished the game with 1 assist and no other stats. His late rush that caused Brady to scramble back inside where Brady was strip sacked by Speaks and KC got the turnover was about the only memorable play Ford made. Nelson continues to get beat deep and teams will start using this to there advantage if Sutton doesn’t make some coverage adjustments.

A Sagging Rag & Hitch Defense

I don’t know what to make of this rushing defense. As good as Reggie Ragland looked late last year, he looks just as bad so far this year. It seems as if GM Brett Veach was overly optimistic on the abilities of Anthony Hitchens, especially when Hitchens drops into coverage. I don’t know if it’s scheme, coaching or players, but they can’t continue to be this bad and expect to win in the post-season.

One Game at a Time

For the second consecutive Sunday night game, the Chiefs will play host to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have the 29th ranked defense in yards per game and are 31st in 3rd down percentage. They are 23rd in points allowed, so while not as bad as the Chiefs defense, they aren’t anything spectacular themselves.

Cincinnati’s offense is ranked 23rd in yards/game but are 6th in points scored. I have not seen a Bengals game, so I don’t know if their special teams is giving them good field position or what the reason is for the discrepancy. Their defense has scored thrice, one pick 6 and 2 TDs on fumble recoveries. The Bengals running game hasn’t been very productive but all of their opponents to date have better rushing defenses than the Chiefs. Cincinnati does have the number 5 passing offense through six games, with both A J Green and Tyler Boyd having over 450 receiving yards so far.

My Biggest Concern

My only concern in this game is that the Bengals will continually line up either of their WRs, A.J. Green or Tyler Boyd, over Steven Nelson and go deep repeatedly. Nelson plays a pretty good… if the game is in front of him, but he has been beaten regularly, either by reception or penalty, when teams take him long. I’m expecting another high scoring affair, with the Chiefs ending up the victor.

Paul Pulley — ArrowheadOne